This page completes the vyjmenovaná slova — the lists of words that take y after the ambiguous consonants — with the four remaining letters p, s, v, z, plus a note on f. As with b, l, m, the letters i and y after these consonants sound exactly the same, there is no rule to derive the spelling from, and Czech keeps the distinction alive only as a memorised inventory. Everything on the list (and everything built from it) takes y; everything else takes i. If you have not yet read the underlying logic, start with the overview.
The good news for this batch: v carries one enormously productive rule (the prefix vy-/vý-) that does most of the work for you, and z has almost nothing on it at all.
The p-list
pýcha, pýřit se, pytel, pysk, netopýr, slepýš, pyl, kopyto, klopýtat, třpytit se, zpytovat, pykat, pýr
| Listed word | Meaning | Common derivatives (also y) |
|---|---|---|
| pýcha | pride | pyšný (proud), pyšnit se, zpychnout |
| pýřit se | to blush | čepýřit se (to bristle, puff up) |
| pytel | sack, bag | pytlík (little bag), pytlovina, pytlák (poacher) |
| pysk | lip (of an animal) | pyskatý |
| netopýr | bat (animal) | netopýří |
| slepýš | slow worm | — |
| pyl | pollen | pylový, opylovat (to pollinate) |
| kopyto | hoof | kopýtko, sudokopytník (even-toed ungulate) |
| klopýtat | to stumble | klopýtnout, zaklopýtat |
| třpytit se | to glitter, sparkle | třpyt, třpytka (lure / sparkle) |
| zpytovat | to scrutinise | zpytovat svědomí (search one's conscience) |
| pykat | to atone, pay for | odpykat (si) trest (serve a sentence) |
| pýr | couch grass (a weed) | pýřavka |
Pýcha předchází pád.
Pride comes before a fall. (pýcha → y; also pyšný)
Na zahradě nám létá netopýr.
A bat flies around our garden. (netopýr → y)
Klopýtl o kořen a málem upadl.
He stumbled over a root and nearly fell. (klopýtat → y)
Na jaře mě vždycky trápí pyl.
In spring the pollen always bothers me. (pyl → y)
The s-list
syn, sytý, sýr, syrový, sychravý, usychat, sýkora, sýček, sysel, syčet, sypat
| Listed word | Meaning | Common derivatives (also y) |
|---|---|---|
| syn | son | synovec (nephew), synek, zlosyn (villain) |
| sytý | full, sated | nasytit, dosyta, sytost |
| sýr | cheese | sýrový, syreček, sýrárna |
| syrový | raw | syrovost, za syrova |
| sychravý | damp and chilly (weather) | — |
| usychat / usýchat | to dry up, wither | vysychat, oschnout (root schn-) |
| sýkora | tit (the bird) | sýkorka |
| sýček | little owl; doom-monger | sýčkovat (to be a pessimist) |
| sysel | ground squirrel, gopher | syslit (to hoard) |
| syčet | to hiss | sykot, zasyčet, syčák (lowlife) |
| sypat | to pour (granular things) | sypký, posypat, násyp, zásyp |
Dáš si k snídani sýr, nebo šunku?
Will you have cheese or ham for breakfast? (sýr → y)
Venku je sychravo, vezmi si bundu.
It's damp and chilly outside, take a jacket. (sychravý → y)
Na krmítku máme každý den sýkorky.
We have tits at the feeder every day. (sýkora → y)
Nesyp tolik cukru do kávy.
Don't pour so much sugar into the coffee. (sypat → y)
The v-list — and the mighty vy-/vý- prefix
vy- / vý- (the prefix), vysoký, výt, výskat, zvykat, žvýkat, vydra, výr, povyk, výheň, cavyky, vyžle
The single most valuable entry here is not a word but a prefix. Every word built with the prefix vy- (short) or vý- (long) is written with y — and that prefix is everywhere: vyjít (go out), výlet (trip), vysvětlit (explain), vydělat (earn), výborný (excellent), výzkum (research), vyrobit (manufacture), vybrat (choose). Even the word vyjmenovaná ("listed," as in these very lists) starts with vy-. Learn this one prefix and you have settled the spelling of thousands of words at a stroke.
| Listed word | Meaning | Common derivatives (also y) |
|---|---|---|
| vy- / vý- | the prefix "out / up" | vyjít, výlet, vysvětlit, výborný, výzkum… |
| vysoký | high, tall | výška, vyšší, vysočina, povýšit |
| výt | to howl | zavýt, vytí |
| výskat | to whoop, squeal with joy | výskot, zavýsknout |
| zvykat (si) | to get used to | zvyk (habit), zvyknout si, navyklý |
| žvýkat | to chew | žvýkačka (chewing gum), přežvýkavec |
| vydra | otter | vydří, vydrovka |
| výr | eagle owl | výří |
| povyk | uproar, fuss | povykovat |
| výheň | forge, furnace | — |
| cavyky | fuss, ado (dělat cavyky) | — |
| vyžle | skinny kid; whippet | — |
Z toho okna je výhled na celé město.
There's a view of the whole city from that window. (výhled has the prefix vý- → y)
Ten kluk je vysoký jako jeho táta.
That boy is as tall as his dad. (vysoký → y)
Přestaň žvýkat tu žvýkačku tak nahlas.
Stop chewing that gum so loudly. (žvýkat → y)
Nedělej kvůli tomu takové cavyky.
Don't make such a fuss about it. (cavyky → y)
The z-list — almost empty
brzy, jazyk, nazývat, Ruzyně
The z-list is famously tiny. Beyond these four, the only y-words after z are derivatives — above all the family of -zývat (to call), which all inherit the y from nazývat.
| Listed word | Meaning | Common derivatives (also y) |
|---|---|---|
| brzy | soon, early | brzičko, nabrzo (dialectal) |
| jazyk | tongue; language | jazýček, jazykový, jazykověda, dvojjazyčný |
| nazývat | to call, to name | ozývat se (resound), vyzývat (challenge), vzývat (invoke) |
| Ruzyně | district of Prague (the old airport) | ruzyňský |
Přijď brzy, začínáme v sedm.
Come early, we're starting at seven. (brzy → y)
Učím se třetí cizí jazyk.
I'm learning my third foreign language. (jazyk → y)
To se odborně nazývá inflace.
This is technically called inflation. (nazývat → y)
The f "list": there isn't really one
Native Czech words almost never have f, so the i/y choice after f hardly ever comes up, and there are no native vyjmenovaná slova after f. The only place you write y after f is in borrowed words of Greek origin, where the y reflects a Greek upsilon in the source — chiefly the fyz- family: fyzika (physics), fyzický (physical), fyziologie, fyzioterapie. Most other f-words simply take i: film, figura, finance, fixa. There is nothing to memorise as a list here — just remember the fyzika group.
Z fyziky jsem měl vždycky jedničku.
I always got top marks in physics. (fyzika → y, Greek origin)
Homophone traps: y or i changes the word
As with the b/l/m page, the lists matter most where the choice of letter is the only thing separating two real words:
| On a list → y | Not on a list → i |
|---|---|
| výr (eagle owl) | vír (whirlpool, eddy) |
| pyl (pollen) | pil (he drank, from pít) |
| nazývat (to name) | zívat (to yawn) |
| vysoký (tall) | visí (it hangs, from viset) |
Na stromě seděl výr a v řece byl nebezpečný vír.
An eagle owl sat in the tree and there was a dangerous whirlpool in the river. (výr → y, vír → i, side by side)
Včera celý večer jen pil.
Yesterday he just drank all evening. (pil = he drank → i, not the pollen pyl)
Common Mistakes
❌ Učím se třetí cizí jazik.
Incorrect — jazyk is on the z-list, so it takes y: jazyk.
✅ Učím se třetí cizí jazyk.
I'm learning my third foreign language.
❌ Ten kluk je visoký jako jeho táta.
Incorrect — vysoký is on the v-list, so it takes y.
✅ Ten kluk je vysoký jako jeho táta.
That boy is as tall as his dad.
❌ Z toho okna je víhled na město.
Incorrect — výhled has the prefix vý-, which always takes y.
✅ Z toho okna je výhled na město.
There's a view of the city from that window.
❌ Dáš si k snídani sír?
Incorrect — sýr (cheese) is on the s-list and takes y; sír would be a non-word.
✅ Dáš si k snídani sýr?
Will you have cheese for breakfast?
❌ Pořád jen zývá, je unavený.
Over-correction — zívat (to yawn) is NOT on a list, so it takes i: zívá. Not every z-word is a y-word.
✅ Pořád jen zívá, je unavený.
He keeps yawning, he's tired.
Key Takeaways
- After p, s, v, z the letters i and y sound identical; only the list decides, and everything off the list takes i.
- p-list: pýcha, pýřit se, pytel, pysk, netopýr, slepýš, pyl, kopyto, klopýtat, třpytit se, zpytovat, pykat, pýr.
- s-list: syn, sytý, sýr, syrový, sychravý, usychat, sýkora, sýček, sysel, syčet, sypat.
- v-list: the prefix vy-/vý- (huge payoff: vyjít, výlet, výborný) plus vysoký, výt, výskat, zvykat, žvýkat, vydra, výr, povyk, výheň, cavyky, vyžle.
- z-list is tiny: brzy, jazyk, nazývat, Ruzyně (with ozývat se, vyzývat from nazývat).
- After f there is no native list — only the Greek-origin fyzika family takes y.
- Derivatives keep the y, and homophones depend on it: výr/vír, pyl/pil, nazývat/zívat.
Now practice Czech
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Czech→Related Topics
- Vyjmenovaná slova: The Words That Take yA2 — What the vyjmenovaná slova are, why Czech keeps closed lists of y-words after b, f, l, m, p, s, v, z, and how derived words inherit the y.
- Vyjmenovaná slova after b, l, mB1 — The core memorized y-words for the consonants b, l, and m.
- The i/y Problem: Why Two Letters for One SoundA2 — Why Czech writes one sound two ways — i and y — and how the three-zone system (soft, hard, ambiguous consonants) decides which you use.
- i/y in Grammatical EndingsB1 — How case and verb agreement decide i versus y in word endings.
- Common Mistakes: i versus y SpellingB1 — Why i and y sound identical in Czech, how soft and hard consonants decide the spelling automatically, and where the vyjmenovaná slova force you to memorise — with the classic byt/bít, mýt/mít confusions.